


Bedtime Stories

by Grumpy_Bubble_Tea



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28270308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grumpy_Bubble_Tea/pseuds/Grumpy_Bubble_Tea
Summary: My secret santa gift for Goldiia, who requested something with the four protagonists of Bravely Default 2! Happy holidays! I'm super excited for this game, so I was more than happy to do this fic.This takes place in the demo, where the group is in Savalon, having some trouble on a sleepless night. They decide to exchange some tales to pass the time.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Bedtime Stories

A scholar’s work was never truly done. 

This was something Elvis had learned a long time ago, having always been driven by a powerful, insatiable thirst for knowledge. He had to see it all, to know it all, and to understand it all; He had to know the who, what, where, when, how--and most importantly, the why behind everything that made the world go round. With a new project in his sights and a new goal to strive for, he had many new questions to answer, all pertaining to one thing.

The journal. 

But to understand it, to make sense of any of it, he had to strive to collect many things.

The asterisks. 

And in quest to do so, the sociable scholar enlisted the help of a mercenary with a fiery passion in her work, and more notably, even more fire in the way she darted across the battlefield and cut down enemies without hardly breaking a sweat. Adelle Ein, she was called, and the two had been travelling together ever since. His other 2 companions? He had also stumbled upon them during his travels with Adelle, one being a sailor washed upon the shore like a seashell, by the name of Seth. The other was the princess of the fallen kingdom of Musa, and their tales intertwined at her quest to locate the crystals of the world and bring them back to their rightful place, in her home. 

That was what brought us here, today. 

Savalon’s vast tan seas of endless mounds of sand ran cold at this hour, as the moon hung high in the sky and the stars, littering the dark background above like lanterns, provided serene lighting. He could try to argue that he preferred it this way, the night keeping the raging heat of the land calmed and tamed, yet the darkness usually gave the more ferocious beasts in the land more freedom to come out. They were ruthless predators--some with razor sharp teeth, others bearing needle-like stingers, or with the ability to inflict poison on him and his colleagues--and as bold as he could be, he was not looking to be anyone’s prey. It also made the nights in the kingdom far too cold for his liking. 

From the very moment the quartet had entered Savalon earlier that day, when the sun was at its peak in the sky, they could see the extent of the flooding the citizens of Savalon had endured for 3 years now. Homes, shops, walkways, all submerged, only visible from above through the shifting stirs of the water. He remembered seeing the pain and solemn in Gloria’s eyes when she first saw it all for herself, and the way her chest deflated as she sighed, and the way her shoulders slumped as if having lost all control in them to keep them up. She knew exactly what had to be causing the flooding the moment they arrived, but it was determined that the group, still wounded, sweaty, and breathless from their arrival, had no business attempting to infiltrate the sandy ruins nearby for the water crystal. Not yet, anyways. All four members were sweating buckets by the time they entered the kingdom, and having been wearing the black mage’s robes, Elvis certainly felt the brunt of the heat, which led him to make no objections when Adelle offered that they rest for the day at the inn and make their trip out to the ruins at sunrise. 

Now, Elvis sat on the edge of his bed in the inn, his robes casted to the side. The mage attire, neatly folded, sat on a desk just a few feet away, with the hat resting on top of the folded clothing. The scholar, his feet resting on the wooden floor, was opting not to spend his evening at the tavern as he often did. While he usually was one for a sweet sip of ale and would take any reason as a celebration enough to do so, he had other concerns tonight. 

The journal sat in his hands, opened to a random page. His eyes danced across the parchments and inked in words, scanning them each for the billionth time. This was far from his first attempt to read the darn thing, hell, by now he expected not to make sense of any of it.

But it didn’t hurt to try. 

“... You’re still awake?”

A voice sliced through his thoughts and failing deciphers. He sat up straight (by habit, he slouched just a little when he was reading or writing), and whipped his head around towards the source, finding his sailor colleague in the doorway. His hair was still fairly damp from his bath, his skin visibly still a little wet; He must have just finished washing up a little while ago. He’s removed his gloves and shoes as he gets comfortable, but his attempt to slip into bed was interrupted by his concern for the scholar before him. Seth, one of his hands idly scratched at the side of his head through his hair, crossed the room to Elvis and stopped just at his bedside.

“It’s a little late, don’t you think? And we’ll need all the rest we can get for tomorrow…” As always, he was concerned, and caring. Something Elvis greatly appreciated. 

“Aye, I’int mean to worry ya...” Elvis shut the book and set it down in his lap, a sigh slipping out of him, both from his sleepiness and from his frustration. “I’ll get some shuteye soon. Promise.” 

Seth nodded in return, yet his eyes still lingered on the scholar, concern in his gaze. He began to sit beside Elvis, moving slowly and cautiously, stopping just before his rear actually touched the bed, as if to silently ask if it was alright. 

“... Go ahead.” Elvis, though still tired, managed a small smile. Seth sat down fully, the towel on his shoulders dangling forward from them as he hunched over just a bit. He seemed to eye the older man for a moment longer before his gaze fell down onto the journal, and the realization hit him. 

Silence filled the air briefly as he considered exactly just what to say, then settled on, “... I know it’s probably frustrating, trying to figure out what that book says, right?” 

“... Aye.” Elvis set the journal behind him on the mattress, letting it rest now, idly eyeing a few of the small ticks and tears in the cover and spine. Their travels were bound to bring some wear and tear, but he prided himself on keeping the book in tip top shape, so it bugged him nonetheless. “Adelle and I, we’ve been workin’ ‘ard to figure this thing out… Never would’a guessed it would take us this long.” 

“... Well…” Seth had a more optimistic tone to his voice, hope lacing his words as he spoke, “Maybe we’ll find some answers at the ruins, yeah? Won’t know until we look, and… Even if we don’t, Elvis, Gloria and I are here to help you and Adelle too, you know. I-I mean… You two are helping us get the crystals back so, why wouldn’t we help you too?”

“Besides,” he continued, “We’re friends. All four of us, and friends don’t just… Leave each other, especially at a time like this, when you need us most. We’re gunna be with you both through thick and thin, and we’ll find out just what that darn book says. You have my word.” His hand came to his chest, as if to swear on his heart-on his life-that his words were sincere. 

Elvis felt a bit of a weight lifted off of him, and without him even noticing, his shoulders relaxed. A tensed, stressed breath he’d been holding in his chest finally released, and he smiled bigger now, more genuinely, a world of gratitude hidden in the way his eyes dazzled against the moonlight seeping in through the inn’s window.

“Thanks, Seth. I mighty appreciate it.” 

“It’s just what friends do for each other, Elvis.” Seth nodded, smiling back, his eyes curling along with lips with joy. “Now… I really do think you should rest for tomorrow, but…”

Raising an eyebrow, Elvis sat up straight, his curiosity piqued. “But?”

“But… The girls are still up--I passed them on my way back here--so… If you, maybe, wanted to spend some time with them to help you cheer up before we all go to bed, I think they’d be more than happy to.” 

“... I’d love to.” 

* * *

It was true that the monsters that came out of hiding at night scared Elvis, but the evening wasn’t so bad when he was surrounded by what he could consider his family. 

_‘Why not go to the tavern?’_ He offered when he and Seth had first left their room to talk to Adelle and Gloria. As expected, Adelle merely rolled her eyes.

_‘Oh, you…’_ He chuckled, thinking back on how she sighed and deflated. _‘We have way too much ahead of us tomorrow to drink ourselves to sleep…’_

Gloria concurred with a silent nod, quickly tossing his idea out the window just as quickly as he’d presented it. Then, she’d chime up with a, _‘I would usually suggest we grab a meal and take some time to rest between our excursions, but we had dinner earlier…’_

Seth had a finger to his chin in thought, the fingertip idly tapping at bottom lip. A moment of silence washed over the group as each member fell into their own trains of thought, scratching heads or looking up to the sky with shut eyes as they racked their brains for ideas, until the sailor suggested a, _‘Why not just… Find somewhere out here to sit and talk?’_

_‘Oh--Oh, we can tell stories to pass the time!’_ Adelle’s eyes twinkled with delight. 

Seeing this, Elvis smiled warmly. _‘Sounds good to me, little lass.’_

There were no protests amongst the other members of the group, which had brought them to where they were now, seated just outside the inn. The streets had grown a little more vacant and empty, and cold air washed through the land endlessly, opting Elvis to wear his mage robes. The moon above was their main source of light, save for one lantern Gloria had brought outside with them, the gentle orange glow of it providing some warmth in addition to its light from inside its metal holding. 

The princess had been the first to bring her stories to the table. Tales about her growing up in a royal household, endless little anecdotes about her father, mostly. She told a story once about the time she came to Savalon to see the royal family here--Her father was especially close with Savalon’s own king, you see--and she got to see the knights practice in all their glory. Their chests puffed, muscles flexed, every little bit of extra effort put in to impress a princess like her. But then, she went on to challenge the knights herself, insisting she wanted to take on every last one of them. Gloria couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her as she spoke of the shocked look on the soldiers’s faces. 

_‘Sounds like you.’_ Seth had laughed along, seated back against the wall of the inn. 

Nodding along, Adelle had chuckles of her own slipping out. _‘Doesn’t it?’_

_‘It sure does.’_ Elvis was the last to speak, his hat seated in his lap as he too laughed with joy. 

_‘Oh, quiet, you three…’_ Gloria had a faint rosy blush to her cheeks. _‘Come now, Adelle, you were telling me of a better tale, weren’t you?’_

This made both Seth and Elvis turn towards the mercenary, the older of the two cocking an eyebrow and speaking with a grin. _‘Oh, izzat so?’_

_‘Oh, please… It wasn’t hardly as funny as Gloria’s tale, no. But if you wanna hear it anyways, I don’t mind sharing.’_

She broke into a tale from a few summers ago, before she had met anyone in the group, even Elvis. She was on an excursion of her own, doing a quick job for a client, off to cut down some enemies for quick coin--Something about making the area a little safer, she said. She went out alone, armed with a dagger that she’d been given for the job, and with a few small rations to keep herself fed as she worked. According to her tale, she had actually been out there for quite some time, cutting down beasts and working herself up a sweat and an even bigger appetite. Yet, just as her luck would have it, the moment she set down her dagger and sat down on a stump to help herself to a meal, one of those wretched beasts returned and, in one swift moment, snatched her food right from her hands. Before she could even pick her knife back up, it had vanished back into the shrubs and bushes, leaving her lunchless from all her hard work. 

This sent the entire group into a fit of laughter, Elvis even clapping a few times as his laughs bellowed out, and Gloria covering her mouth with one hand as she too chuckled along. 

_‘I was so annoyed…’_ Adelle elaborated, though even she wore a grin too, wanting to laugh along with them. _‘But looking back on it, it was a little funny.’_

_‘More than a little…’_ Seth chimed in, earning himself a sock in the arm from Adelle, yet it only made him laugh more. 

_‘Alright, alright.’_ Though a snicker or two still slipped out from him, Elvis did his best to collect himself. _‘I got a tale that’ll def’nitly get your faces red with laughs, I promise.’_

_‘Oh, will it now? Well, alright, hot shot; Don’t keep us waiting.’_ Adelle, still giggling herself, nodded at him to continue. 

He cracked his knuckles, feigning as if he had to prepare himself to deliver such a great tale, before he finally began to speak.

It was back during his younger days, when he was about only 20 winters old, he said. It was around this time that his thirst for knowledge truly began to peak, and he realized his passion for learning about the vast world around him. He was set to meet and have dinner with his first mentor, and in all his eagerness to prepare, he’d gone to great lengths to make sure his hair was perfectly done and all of his attire was in tip-top shape, from every thread being in place to every button being sewed on tight. They agreed to talk at the tavern of the town he was staying in, and from both excitement and anxiety, he’d made sure to arrive first (being late would have been a terrible first impression, he’d concluded). 

Despite his honest attempts to impress his mentor, Elvis had arrived so early that the thought to help himself to a swig or two of sweet ale had become nearly unbearable. He’d given in and what was meant to only be one or two mugs turned into 4 by the time his mentor had arrived. His face had turned pink from drunkenness, and his slurred words mixed with his accent made his speech nearly incomprehensible. He was sent home before the two had even spoken for more than a full hour, and had to reschedule for the next evening--This time, making sure they met somewhere _far_ from the tavern. 

_‘Crystals…’_ Gloria gasped, watching him in shock. _‘You drank right before you were supposed to meet with him?’_

_‘Aye, I know, I know--Was dumb o’ me. Just couldn’t help myself, you know?’_

_‘Elvis, you are a riot…’_ Adelle shook her head, throwing her hands up with defeat. Afterwards, she found herself raising a hand over her mouth as she yawned, her drowsiness kicking in now that they’d been talking for some time. 

Seth took note of this, raising an eyebrow. _‘Getting tired, Adelle? If you are, it might be time to turn in…’_

The group heeded her next words carefully, but already knew she must have been growing exhausted when her first reaction wasn’t to immediately protest against his accusation. 

_‘Maybe…’_ Another yawn, then, _‘Maybe just a little bit…’_

_‘It might just be time for us to get some rest anyways. We have quite the day ahead of us.’_ Gloria rose to her feet, and with the help of Adelle, brushed some of the pebbles and bits of sand on her clothes from sitting outside. 

_‘I’ll turn in, in just a bit. Goodnight, you two.’_ Seth nodded to both the princess and the mercenary, accepting the lantern from Gloria as she passed it over to him. 

Elvis tipped his hat to them both. _‘Sleep tight, an’ we’ll see you two in the mornin’.’_

That was what brought the duo of men to where they were now. 

With their goodbyes exchanged, Gloria and Adelle returned inside with their arms linked, chatting idly as they headed back to their rooms. Elvis looked to Seth, his arms calmly crossed over his chest. _‘_ You’re not tired?’ 

“... I am, a bit.” He confessed; Seth was never one to lie to his companions. But his words were laced with a solemn, quieter-than-usual tone. _‘_ Just…”

“A bit on your mind?”

“... Yeah, yeah.”

“Well, Seth, you let me talk t’ya earlier. So ya know what?” 

He tilted his head to the side just a bit. “What?”

“Like ye said, we’re friends. An’ friends’re there for each other, so whatever’s eatin’ away at you? I’ll help you through it. Just fill me in.”

A genuine, gracious smile crossed the sailor’s lips. He nodded, his brown locks shifting gently with his movements. ‘Thanks, Elvis.”

“It’s my pleasure. Now, what’s buggin’ ya?”

“I… Really wish I had a story of my own to tell, you know? But I can’t really remember much that happened in my life, up until you all found me. This journey that we’ve all been on? It’s… Really the only story I have to tell.” 

Elvis sighed, his brows softening and a small frown crossing his face. “... I don’t know much about recoverin’ lost memories, buuut…”

“But…?”

“I do know plenty, ‘bout travellin’ with friends. You may not have much of an old story, but yer writin’ a new one now. And maybe, ‘long the way, we’ll discover things that will help jog yer memory. Even if only a bit.” 

“You think so?”

“I know so. We’ll get those crystals, decipher this ol’ book, get yer memories back, and then some.” He extended a hand to pat Elvis on the back. “I’m here for you too, y’know, and so are the girls. We’ll stick together through thick ‘n thin.” 

“... Thank you, Elvis. Really.”

“‘S just what ‘m here for, really.” 


End file.
